Hans-Joachim Marseille

Infobox Military Person
name=Hans-Joachim Marseille
born=birth date|1919|12|13|df=y
died=death date and age|1942|09|30|1919|12|13|df=y
placeofbirth=Berlin, Germany
placeofdeath=Sidi Abdel Rahman, Egypt
coord|30|53|26.80|N|28|41|42.87|E|


caption=Hans-Joachim Marseille
nickname="Star of Africa" to the Germans
"Jochen" to his friends
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=
serviceyears=1938–1942
rank=Hauptmann
commands="3./JG 27"
unit= "LG 2", "JG 52" and "JG 27"
battles=World War II
*Defence of the Reich
*Battle of Britain
*Balkans Campaign
*North African Campaign
awards="Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten"
"Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare"
laterwork=

Hans-Joachim Marseille (13 December 1919–30 September 1942; German: IPA|/hants joːaxɪm maʀsɛj/) was a "Luftwaffe" fighter pilot and flying ace during World War II. He is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign and his bohemian lifestyle. Arguably one of the best fighter pilots of World War II, he was nicknamed the "Star of Africa". Marseille scored all but seven of his official 158 victories against the British Commonwealth's Desert Air Force over North Africa, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter for his entire combat career. No other pilot destroyed as many Western Allied aircraft as Marseille. [Feist 1993, p. 2.]

Marseille, of French Huguenot ancestry, joined the Luftwaffe in 1938. At the age of 20 he graduated from one of the Luftwaffe's fighter pilot school just in time to participate in the Battle of Britain, without notable success. A charming person, he had such a busy night life that sometimes he was too tired to be allowed to fly the next morning. As a result, he was transferred to another unit, which relocated to North Africa in April 1941.

Under the guidance of his new commander, who recognised the hidden potential in the young officer, Marseille started to improve his abilities as a fighter pilot. He reached the zenith of his fighter pilot career on 1 September 1942, when during the course of three combat sorties he shot down 17 enemy fighters, earning him the "Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillianten" (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds). Only 29 days later, Marseille was killed in a flying accident, when an engine failure forced him to abandon his fighter. After he exited the smoke-filled cockpit, Marseille's chest struck the vertical stabiliser of his aircraft, either killing him instantly, or incapacitating him so that he was unable to open his parachute.

Early life

Hans-Joachim "Jochen" Kaplan 2007, p. 172.] Walter Rudolf Siegfried Marseille was born to Charlotte (maiden name: Charlotte Marie Johanna Pauline Gertrud Riemer) and "Hauptmann" Siegfried Georg Martin Marseille, a family with French-Huguenot ancestry, in Berlin-Charlottenburg Berliner Strasse 164 on 13 December 1919 at 11:45 PM.ref label|Note1|a|a As a child he was physically weak and nearly died from a serious case of Influenza.Kurowski 1994, p. 9.] His father Siegfried was an Army officer during World War I, and later left the armed forces to join the Berlin Police force. Siegfried later rejoined the Army in 1933,Kurowski 1994, p. 12.] and was promoted to General in 1935. Promoted again he attained the rank of "Generalmajor" on 1 July 1941. He served on the Eastern Front from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Siegfried Marseille was killed by partisans near Petrykaw on 29 January 1944. He was buried in the cemetery of Selasje. [Wübbe 2001, p. 89.] Hans-Joachim also had a younger sister, Ingeborg "Inge". While on sick leave in Athens at the end of December 1941, he was summoned to Berlin via a telegram from his mother. Upon arriving home he learned his sister had been "slain by a jealous lover"; [Kurowski 1994, p. 127.] Marseille never recovered emotionally from this blow.

His mother and father divorced when Marseille was still a young child. His mother married again, a police official by the name of Reuter. Marseille initially carried the name of his stepfather at school, a matter he had a difficult time accepting, and he retook the name Marseille in adulthood. His lack of discipline gained him the reputation of a rebel, a characteristic that would plague him early in his Luftwaffe career. [Kurowski 1994, p. 11.] Marseille also had a difficult relationship with his father, General Marseille. He had refused to visit his father in Hamburg for sometime after the divorce, but eventually attempted to reconcile. His father introduced him to the nightlife that was to hamper and even damage his military career in his initial years in the "Luftwaffe". However it did not strengthen the relationship and he did not see his father again after that. [Tate 2008, p. 84-85.]

Marseille attended the 12th "Volksschule" Berlin (1926 – 1930), and from the age of 10, the Prinz Heinrich Gymnasium in Berlin-Schöneberg (1930 – 1938). He was considered a lazy student at first, and was constantly playing pranks and getting into trouble. Toward the end of his school years he took his education seriously, and qualified as one of the youngest at 17 years and six months for his Abitur and graduated in early 1938.Marseille then expressed his desire to become a "Flying officer."

Military service

Entry into the Luftwaffe

Although he was not athletic in physique, Marseille received a good report for a term with the "Reichsarbeitsdienst" ("State Labour Service") "Abtlg. 1/177" in Osterholz-Scharmbeck near Bremen, between 4 April and 24 September 1938. [Wübbe 2001, p. 99.]

He joined "Luftwaffe" on 7 November 1938, as a "Fahnenjunker" (officer candidate) and received his military basic training in Quedlinburg in the Harz region. On 1 March 1939 Marseille was transferred to the "Luftkriegsschule" (LKS 4) near Fürstenfeldbruck. Among his classmates was Werner Schröer. Schröer reports that Marseille was often in breach of military discipline. Consequently Marseille was ordered to stay on base while his class mates were on weekend leave. Quite frequently Marseille ignored this and left Schröer a note: "Went out! Please take my chores." [Wübbe 2001, p. 14.] On one occasion, while performing a slow circuit, Marseille broke away and performed an imaginary weaving dogfight. He was reprimanded by his commanding officer, "Hauptmann" Mueller-Rohrmoser, and taken off flying duties and his promotion to "Gefreiter" postponed. Soon after, during a cross-country flight, he landed on a quiet stretch of "Autobahn" (between Magdeburg and Braunschweig [Kurowski 1994, p. 19] ) and ran behind a tree to relieve himself. [Berger 1999, p. 208.] Some farmers came to enquire if he needed assistance, but by the time they arrived Marseille was on his way, and they were blown back by his slipstream. Infuriated, the farmers reported the matter and Marseille was again suspended from flying. Those he graduated with had been made full officers by early 1940, while Marseille's rule-breaking left him with the rank of "Oberfähnrich" at the end of 1941. [Kurowski 1994, pp. 19, 20.]

Marseille completed his training at "Jagdfliegerschule 5" in Wien-Schwechat to which he was posted on 1 November 1939. "Jagdfliegerschule 5" at the time was under the command of the World War I flying ace and recipient of the Pour le Mérite Eduard Ritter von Schleich. [Wübbe 2001, p. 111.] Marseille graduated from "Jagdfliegerschule 5" with an outstanding evaluation on 18 July 1940 and was assigned to "Ergänzungsjagdgruppe" Merseburg. [Wübbe 2001, p. 114.] Marseille's unit was assigned to air defence duty over the Leuna plant from the outbreak of war until the fall of France.

On 10 August 1940 he was assigned to "I. Jagd/Lehrgeschwader 2", based in Calais-Marck, to begin operations over Britain and again received an outstanding evaluation this time by his "Hauptmann" and "Gruppenkommandeur", Herbert Ihlefeld. [Wübbe 2001, p. 126.]

Battle of Britain

In his first dogfight over England on 24 August 1940, Marseille was involved in a four-minute battle with a skilled opponent.ref label|Note2|b|b He defeated his opponent by pulling up into a tight chandelle, to gain an altitude advantage before diving and firing. The British fighter was struck in the engine, pitching over and diving into the English Channel; this was Marseille's first kill. Marseille was then engaged from above by more enemy fighters. By pushing his aircraft into a steep dive then pulling up metres above the water, Marseille escaped from the machine gun fire of his opponents: "skipping away over the waves, I made a clean break. No one followed me and I returned to Leeuwarden."Kurowski 1994, p. 15.]

Marseille did not take any pleasure in this kill and found it difficult to accept the realities of aerial combat. In a letter to his mother, dated 24 August, he said:

Today I shot down my first opponent. It does not sit well with me. I keep thinking how the mother of this young man must feel when she gets the news of her son's death. And I am to blame for this death. I am sad, instead of being happy about the first victory. [Tate 2008, p. 83.]

On his second sortie, he scored another victory, and by the fifth day had claimed his fourth kill. While returning from a bomber-escort mission on 23 September 1940, his engine failed after combat damage sustained over Dover; he tried to radio his position but was forced to bail out over the sea. He paddled around in the water for three hours before being rescued by a Heinkel He 59 float plane based at Schellingwoude. Severely worn out and suffering from exposure, he was sent to a field hospital. "I.(J)/LG 2" claimed three aerial victories for the loss of four Bf 109. [Wübbe 2001, p. 26.]

Days later, Marseille was passed over for promotion and was now the sole "Fähnrich" in the "Geschwader". This was a humiliation for him, suspecting that his abilities were being suppressed so the squadron leaders could take all the glory in the air. [Kurowski 1994, p. 19.]

Another account recalled how Marseille once ignored an order to turn back from a fight when outnumbered by two to one, but seeing an enemy aircraft closing on his wing leader, Marseille broke formation and shot the attacking aircraft down. Expecting nothing but "a well done Jochen" when he landed, he was thoroughly criticised for his actions, receiving three days of confinement for failing to carry out an order. [Kurowski 1994, p. 17.]

Shortly afterwards, in early October 1940, after having claimed seven aerial victories all them flying with "I.(Jagd)/LG 2" Marseille was transferred to "4./Jagdgeschwader 52",ref label|Note3|c|c flying alongside the likes of Johannes Steinhoff and Gerhard Barkhorn. He wrote off four aircraft as a result of operations during this period.ref label|Note4|d|dScutts 1994, p. 28.] As punishment for "insubordination"—rumoured to be his penchant for American jazz music, womanising and an overt "playboy" lifestyle—and inability to fly as a wingman, Steinhoff transferred Marseille to "Jagdgeschwader 27" on 24 December 1940. [Heaton, Colin D. [http://www.tarrif.net/wwii/interviews/johannes_steinhoff.htm "Interview: Luftwaffe Eagle, Johannes Steinhoff."] "World War II magazine" (published online by www.tarrif.net), February 2000. Retrieved: 30 January 2008.] His new "Gruppenkommandeur", Eduard Neumann, quickly recognised Marseille's potential as a pilot. Neumann stated in an interview: "Marseille could only be one of two, either a disciplinary problem or a great fighter pilot." [Sims 1982, p. 159.] "Jagdgeschwader 27" was soon relocated to North Africa.

North Africa

Marseille's unit briefly saw action during the invasion of Yugoslavia, deployed to Zagreb on 10 April 1941, before transferring to Africa on 21 April. On his flight from Tripoli into North Africa Marseille's Bf 109 developed engine trouble and he had to make a forced landing in the desert short of his destination. His squadron departed the scene after they had ensured that he had got down alright. Marseille continued his journey, first hitch hiking on an Italian truck, then, finding this to slow; he tried his luck at an airstrip in vain. Finally he made his way to the general in charge of a supply depot on the main route to the front, and convinced him that he should be available for operations next day. Marseille character appealed to the general and he put at his disposal his own Opel Admiral, complete with chauffeur. "You can pay me back by getting fifty victories, Marseille!" were his parting words. [Bekker 1994, p. 246.]

He scored two more kills on 23 April and 28 April. However, on 23 April, Marseille himself was shot down during his third sortie of that day by "Sous-Lieutenant" James Denis, a Free French pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF (8.5 kills), flying a Hawker Hurricane. Marseille's Bf 109 received almost 30 hits in the cockpit area, and three or four shattered the canopy. As Marseille was leaning forward the rounds missed him by inches. Marseille managed to crash-land his fighter. [Kurowski 1994, p. 51.] Just a month later, records show that James Denis shot down Marseille again on 21 May 1941. Marseille engaged Denis, but overshot his target. A turning dogfight ensued, in which Denis once again bested Marseille. After the war Denis described his second encounter with Marseille:

When we arrived near the target, I dived quite steeply and realised my wingman was following shyly. Pompei was a very good pilot but had never trained as a fighter pilot. Worried to see how he was following so far behind, I kept looking back and noticed a ME109 [Messerschmitt Bf 109] attacking him. Having no radio I could not warn him. He was hit and then the ME109 flew in my direction. I acted as if I hadn't seen him, but never stopped watching, and when he was in range I throttled back violently and skidded to the left. Since I was going very fast, my Hurricane [V7859] reacted violently. I saw the hail of bullets pass on my right, and the ME109 could not slow down and flew infront of me. We then started a dogfight, for which the Hurricane was quite good due to its maneuverability. At that moment my plane was flying nose up, hooked to its propeller, when I saw the ME 109 in the sun. I fired a burst so close that we almost collided. I noticed my bullets enter its fuselage [Tate 2008, p. 99.]

Neumann (a "Geschwaderkommodore" as of 10 June 1942) encouraged Marseille to self-train to improve his abilities. By this time, he had crashed or damaged another four nowrap|Bf 109E aircraft, including a tropicalised aircraft he was ferrying on 23 April 1941. [Wübbe 2001, p. 136.]

Marseille's kill rate was slow, and he went from June to August without a victory. He was further frustrated after damage forced him to land on two occasions: once on 14 June 1941 and again after he was hit by ground fire over Tobruk and was forced to land blind. [Kurowski 1994, pp. 65–67.]

His tactic of diving into enemy formations often found him under fire from all directions, resulting in his aircraft being damaged beyond repair, consequently, Eduard Neumann was losing his patience. Marseille persisted, and created a unique self-training programme for himself, both physical and tactical, which resulted not just in outstanding situational awareness, marksmanship and confident control of the aircraft, but also in a unique attack tactic that preferred a high angle deflection shooting attack and shooting at the target's front from the side, instead of the common method of chasing an aircraft and shooting at it directly from behind. Marseille often practiced these tactics on the way back from missions with his comrades. Marseille became known as a master at deflection shooting. [Spick 1997, pp. 120–124.]

Finally on 24 September 1941, his practice came to fruition, with his first multiple victory sortie, claiming four Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF). By mid December he had reached 25 confirmed victoriesWübbe 2001, p. 22.] and was duly awarded the German Cross in Gold. His "Staffel" was rotated to Germany in November/December 1941 to convert onto the Bf 109F-4/Trop, the variant that was described as the "Experten" (experts) "mount."

Quote_box
width=32%
align=left
quote="Marseille was the unrivalled virtuoso among the fighter pilots of World War 2. His achievements had previously been regarded as impossible and they were never excelled by anyone after his death." [Galland 1954, p. 115.]
source=Adolf Galland, "General der Jagdflieger"|Marseille always strove to improve his abilities. He worked to strengthen his legs and abdominal muscles, to help him tolerate the extreme g forces of air combat. Marseille also drank an abnormal amount of milk and shunned sunglasses, to improve his eyesight.

To counter German fighter attacks, the Allied pilots flew "Lufbery circles" (in which each aircraft's tail was covered by the friendly aircraft behind). The tactic was effective and dangerous as a pilot attacking this formation could find himself constantly in the sights of enemy pilots. Marseille often dived at high speed into the middle of these enemy defensive formations from either above or below, executing a tight turn and firing a two-second deflection shot to destroy an enemy aircraft.

Marseille attacked under conditions many considered unfavourable, but his marksmanship allowed him to make an approach fast enough to escape the return fire of the two aircraft flying on either flank of the target. Marseille's excellent eyesight made it possible for him to spot the enemy before he was spotted, allowing him to take the appropriate action and manoeuvre himself into position for an attack. [Spick 1996, p. 123.]

In combat Marseille's unorthodox methods led him to operate in a small leader/wingman unit, which he believed to be the safest and most effective way of fighting in the high-visibility conditions of the North African skies. Marseille "worked" alone in combat keeping his wingman at a safe distance so he would not collide or fire on him in error.

In a dogfight, in particularly when attacking Allied aircraft in a Lufbery circle, Marseille would often favour dramatically reducing the throttle and even lowering the flaps to reduce speed and shorten his turn radius, rather than the standard procedure of using full throttle throughout. [Kaplan 2007, p. 173.]
Emil Clade said that none of the other pilots could do this effectively, preferring instead to dive on single opponents at speed so as to escape if anything went wrong. Clade said of Marseille's tactics:

Marseille developed his own special tactics, which differed significantly from the methods of most other pilots. (When attacking a Lufbery circle) he had to fly very slowly. He even took it to the point where he had to operate his landing flaps as not to fall down, because, of course he had to fly his curve (turns) more tightly than the upper defensive circle. He and his fighter were one unit, and he was in command of that aircraft like no-one else."Hans-Joachim Marseille – The Star of Africa" (Archive of War teleproduction). Egypt/Germany: AV-Medienproduktion, 1990. Note: Narrated by Brian Matthews.]

Friedrich Körner (36 kills) also recognised this as unique:

Shooting in a curve (deflection shooting) is the most difficult thing a pilot can do. The enemy flies in a defensive circle, that means they are already lying in a curve and the attacking fighter has to fly into this defensive circle. By pulling his aircraft right around, his curve radius must be smaller, but if he does that, his target disappears in most cases below his wings. So he cannot see it anymore and has to proceed simply by instinct.

His success as a fighter pilot also led to promotions and more responsibility as an officer. 1 May 1942 saw him prematurely promoted to "Oberleutnant" followed by his appointment to "Staffelkapitän" of "3./JG 27" on 8 June 1942, thus succeeding Oberleutnant Gerhard Homuth who took command of "I./JG 27". [Sims 1982, p. 171.]

In a conversation with his friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt, Marseille commented on his style, and his idea of air-to-air combat:

I often experience combat as it should be. I see myself in the middle of a British [sic] swarm, firing from every position and never getting caught. Our aircraft are basic elements, Stahlschmidt, which have got to be mastered. You've got to be able to shoot from any position. From left or right turns, out of a roll, on your back, whenever. Only this way can you develop your own particular tactics. Attack tactics, that the enemy simply cannot anticipate during the course of the battle — a series of unpredictable movements and actions, never the same, always stemming from the situation at hand. Only then can you plunge into the middle of an enemy swarm and blow it up from the inside. [Dettmann and Kurowski 1964, p. 64.]

His attack method to break up formations, which he perfected, resulted in a high lethality ratio, and in rapid, multiple victories per attack. On 3 June 1942, Marseille attacked alone a formation of 16 Curtiss P-40 fighters and shot down six aircraft of No. 5 Squadron SAAF, five of them in six minutes, including three aces: Robin Pare (six victories), Douglas Golding (6.5 victories) and Andre Botha (five victories). His wingman Rainer Pöttgen, nicknamed "Fliegendes Zählwerk" the ("Flying Counting Machine"), [Sims 1982, p. 156.] said of this fight:

All the enemy were shot down by Marseille in a turning dogfight. As soon as he shot, he needed only to glance at the enemy plane. His pattern [of gunfire] began at the front, the engine's nose, and consistently ended in the cockpit. How he was able to do this not even he could explain. With every dogfight he would throttle back as far as possible; this enabled him to fly tighter turns. His expenditure of ammunition in this air battle was 360 rounds (60 per kill).Kurowski 1994, p. 156.]

After claiming his 100th kill on 17 June 1942, Marseille returned to Germany for two months leave. On 6 August he began his journey back to North Africa accompanied by his fiancée Hanne-Lies Küpper. On 13 August he met Benito Mussolini in Rome and was presented with the highest Italian Military award for bravery; the "Medaglia d'Oro". [Kurowski 1994, p. 183.]

Leaving his fiancée in Rome, Marseille returned to combat duties on 23 August. 1 September 1942 had been Marseille's most successful day, destroying 17 enemy aircraft, and September would see him score 54 kills, his most productive month.Weal 2003, p. 86.] The 17 enemy aircraft shot down included eight in 10 minutes, as a result of this feat he was presented with a type 82 Volkswagen Kübelwagen by an Italian Regia Aeronautica squadron, on which his Italian comrades had painted "Otto" (Italian language: "Otto" = eight). [Wübbe 2001, p. 319.] This was the most aircraft from Western Allied air forces shot down by a single pilot in one day. [O'Leary 2000, p. 46.] Only one pilot, Emil "Bully" Lang on 4 November 1943, would better this score, against the Soviet Air Force on the Eastern Front. [Feist 1993, p. 61.]

Marseille continued scoring multiple kills throughout September, including seven on 15 September. Between 16-25 September Marseille failed to increase his score due to a fractured arm, sustained in a force landing soon after the 15 September mission. As a result he had been forbidden from flying by Eduard Neumann. Marseille had borrowed a Macchi C.205 from neighbouring Italian Squadron 4°Stormo, 96a Squadriglia to test fly. The aircaft was the personal "mount" of Italian ace Lt Emanuele Annoni. Marseille crashed the aircraft on landing. The incident highlighted some deficiencies in Marseille's flying. Werner Schröer said:

Landing's and take-offs, however, fell well below the usual Squadron standards. Once he borrowed a new Macchi 205 from a neighbouring Italian Squadron and crashed it on landing. It left a poor impression of his general ability as a pilot. [Tate 2008, p. 32.]

Marseille had nearly surpassed his friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt's score of 59 kills in just five weeks. However the massive material superiority of the Allies meant the strain placed on the outnumbered German pilots was now severe. At this time the strength of German fighter units numbered 112 (65 serviceable) aircraft against the British who could now muster some 800 machines. [Weal 2003, p. 82.] Marseille was becoming physically exhausted by the frenetic pace of combat. After his last combat on the 26 September, Marseille was reportedly on the verge of collapse after a 15-minute battle with a formation of Spitfires, during which he scored his seventh victory of that day. [Weal 1994, pp. 32, 33.]

Aircraft

Marseille at least flew the following Bf 109 E-7 aircraft: [Wübbe 2001, pp. 25, 26.] [Prien et al 1998, p. 540.]
* "Werk Nummer (W.Nr) 3579", sustained 50% damage on 2 September 1940 in aerial combat and crash landed near Calais-Marck.note label|Note4|d|d
* "W.Nr 5597", sustained 75% damage on 11 September 1940 in aerial combat and made an emergency landing near Wissant.
* "W.Nr 5094", sustained 100% damage on 23 September 1940 Marseille bailed out after aerial combat near Dover.
* "W.Nr 4091", sustained 35% damage on 28 September 1940 Marseille made an emergency landing after engine failure near Théville.
* "W.Nr 1259", sustained 80% damage on 20 April 1941 Marseille made an emergency landing after engine failure near Cahela.
* "W.Nr 5160", sustained 100% damage on 23 April 1941 Marseille made an emergency landing after combat and belly landing near Tobruk.
* "W.Nr 1567", sustained 40% damage on 21 May 1941 in aerial combat and made an emergency landing near Tobruk.

Marseille flew four different Bf 109F-4/Z Trop aircraft:Scutts 1994, p. 90.]
* "Werk Nummer (W.Nr) 12593", in which his score rose to 50 on 23 February 1942
* "W.Nr. 10059", with 68 victory bars on the rudder. On 15 September 1942 this aircraft lost a wing in a midair collision when its pilot Leutnant Friedrich Hoffmann of "3./JG 27" collided with a Bf 109 piloted by Unteroffizier Heinrich Pein of "5./JG 27". Unteroffizier Pein was killed in the resulting crash. Leutnant Hoffmann bailed out only to succumb to his injuries five weeks later. [Prien et al 1998, p. 175.]
* "W.Nr. 10137", with the number "70" within an open-topped wreath and 31 victory bars on the rudder
* His final F-4/Trop, "W.Nr. 8673" with the early-F Variant rear-fuselage horizontal support bars welded along the lower rear fuselage seam joining the fin/rudder and the stabiliser/elevators to the next forward fuselage section, a black-outlined yellow 14, and, on the rudder, "100" enclosed within a wreath, atop 51 victory bars. [Scutts 1994, p. 41.]

Death

The two missions of 26 September 1942 had been flown in Bf 109G-2/Trops, in one of which Marseille had shot down seven enemy aircraft. The first six of these machines were to replace the "Gruppe"'s Bf 109Fs. All had been allocated to Marseille's 3 "Staffel". Marseille had previously ignored orders to use these new aircraft because of its high engine failure rate, but on the orders of Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, Marseille reluctantly obeyed. One of these machines, WK-Nr. 14256 (Engine: Daimler-Benz DB 605 A-1, W.Nr. 77 411), was to be the final aircraft Marseille flew.ref label|Note6|f|f

Over the next three days Marseille's "Staffel" was rested and taken off flying duties. On 28 September Marseille received a telephone call from "Generalfeldmarschall" Erwin Rommel asking to return with him to Berlin. Hitler was to make a speech at the Berlin Sportpalast on 30 September and Rommel and Marseille were to attend. Marseille rejected this offer, citing that he was needed at the front and had already taken three months vacation that year. Marseille also revealed he wanted to take leave at Christmas, to marry his fiancée Hanne-Lies Küpper. [Kurowski 1994, pp. 207–208.]

On 30 September 1942, "Hauptmann" Marseille was leading his "Staffel" on a Stuka escort mission, [ Kurowski 1994, p. 208.] ref label|Note7|g|g during which no contact with enemy fighters was made. While returning to base, his new Bf 109G-2/Trop's cockpit began to fill with smoke; blinded and half asphyxiated, he was guided back to German lines by his wingmen, Jost Schlang and Lt Rainer Pöttgen. Upon reaching friendly lines, "Yellow 14" had lost power and was drifting lower and lower. Pöttgen called out after about 10 minutes that they had reached the White Mosque of Sidi Abdel Rahman, and were thus within friendly lines. At this point, Marseille deemed his aircraft no longer flyable and decided to bail out, his last words to his comrades being "I've got to get out now, I can't stand it any longer". [Kurowski 1994, p. 209.]

Eduard Neumann was personally directing the mission from the command post:

I was at the command post and listening to the radio communication between the pilots. I realised immediately something serious had happened; I knew they were still in flight and that they were trying to bring Marseille over the lines into our territory and that his aircraft was emitting a lot of smoke.

His "Staffel", which had been flying a tight formation around him, peeled away to give him the necessary room to manoeuvre. Marseille rolled his aircraft onto its back, the standard procedure for bail out, but due to the smoke and slight disorientation, he failed to notice that the aircraft had entered a steep dive (at an angle of 70-80 degrees [Tate 2008, p. 116.] ) and was now travelling at a considerably faster speed (about 400 mph). He worked his way out of the cockpit and into the rushing air only to be carried backwards by the slipstream, the left side of his chest striking the vertical stabiliser of his fighter, either killing him instantly or rendering him unconscious to the point that he could not deploy his parachute. He fell almost vertically, hitting the desert floor seven km south of Sidi Abdel Rahman. As it transpired, a gaping 40 cm (16 in) hole had been made in his parachute and the canopy had spilled out, but after recovering the body, the parachute release handle was still on "safe," revealing Marseille had not even attempted to open it. Whilst checking the body, "Oberarzt" Dr Bick, the regimental doctor for the 115th "Panzergrenadierregiment", noted Marseille's wristwatch had stopped at exactly 11:42 am.Kurowski 1994, p. 212.] Dr. Bick had been the first to reach the crash site, having been stationed just to the rear of the forward mine defences, he had also witnessed Marseille's fatal fall.

In his autopsy report, Dr. Bick stated:

"The pilot lay on his stomach as if asleep. His arms were hidden beneath his body. As I came closer, I saw a pool of blood that had issued from the side of his crushed skull; brain matter was exposed. I turned the dead pilot over onto his back and opened the zipper of his flight jacket, saw the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Marseille never actually received the Diamonds personally) and I knew immediately who this was. The paybook also told me."Kurowski 1994, pp. 212–213.]

"Oberleutnant" Ludwig Franzisket collected the body from the desert. Hans-Joachim Marseille lay in state in the "Staffel" sick bay, his comrades coming to pay their respects throughout the day. As a tribute they put on the record "Rhumba Azul" that he had enjoyed listening to; it played over and over until the close of day. Marseille's funeral took place on 1 October 1942 at the Heroes Cemetery in Derna with "Generalfeldmarschall" Albert Kesselring and Eduard Neumann delivering a eulogy.

The last entry in his flight book by Eduard Neumann read: "Flight duration 54 minutes, time of landing "black cross". Took to parachute 7 Km south of Sidi Abdel Rahman. Remarks: Engine damage. Flights 1-482, 388 combat flights and a total of 158 kills: Certified in the field 30th September 1942".Kurowski 1994, p. 213.]

An enquiry into the crash was hastily set up. The commission’s report ("Aktenzeichen 52, Br.B.Nr. 270/42") concluded that the crash was caused by damage to the differential gear, which caused an oil leak. Then a number of teeth broke off the spur wheel and ignited the oil. Sabotage or human error was ruled out.The aircraft, W. Nr. 14256, was ferried to the unit via Bari, Italy. The mission that ended in its destruction was its first mission. [Tate 2008, p. 128.]

Many of the other top Luftwaffe fighter aces like Adolf Galland and Erich Hartmann regarded him as "the best". Günther Rall said of Marseille, "an excellent pilot and brilliant marksman. I think he was the best shot in the "Luftwaffe". [Kaplan 2007, p. 174.]

Aftermath

Marseille's death caused the morale of the entire "Geschwader" to drop. JG 27 was moved out of Africa for about a month because of this, and the deaths of two other German aces, Günter Steinhausen and Marseille's friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt, just three weeks earlier. This represented a failure in the command style of Marseille, although it was not entirely within his control. The more success he had the more his squadron relied on him to carry the lion's share of the kills. So his death, when it came, was something which JG 27 had seemingly not prepared for and the consequences were predictable and devestating. [Tate 2008, p. 29-30.] Historians Hans Ring and Christopher Shores also point to the fact that Marseille's promotions were based on personal success rates more than any other reason, and other pilots did not get to score kills, let alone become "Experten" themselves. They flew support as the "maestro showed them how it was done", and often "held back from attacking enemy aircraft to build his score still higher". [Tate 2008, p. 30-31: Citing Shores and Ring.] As a result there was no other "Great" to step into Marseille shoes if he was killed. Eduard Neumann explained:

This handicap [that vey few pilots scored] was partially overcome by the morale effect on the whole Geschwader of the success of pilots like Marseille. In fact most of the pilots in Marseille's "staffel" acted in secondary role as escort to the "master". [Tate 2008, p. 31.]

Memorials

* Hans-Joachim Marseille appeared four times in the "Deutsche Wochenschau". The first time on Wednesday 17 February 1942 when Oberst Galland, the "General der Jagdflieger", visited an airport in the desert. The second time on Wednesday 1 July 1942 when Marseille traveled to Rastenburg to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords from Adolf Hitler. The third time on Wednesday 9 September 1942 announcing Marseille's 17 aerial victories from 1 September 1942 and that he had been awarded the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross. His last appearance dates from Wednesday 30 September 1942 showing Hauptmann Marseille visiting Erwin Rommel. [Wübbe 2001, p. 51.]

* A wartime pyramid was constructed by Italian engineers at the site of Marseille's fall but over time it decayed. On 22 October 1989, Eduard Neumann and other JG 27 survivors in co-operation with the Egyptian government, erected a new pyramid that stands there to this day. [ [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30%C2%B053'26.80%22N+28%C2%B041'42.87%22E&ie=UTF8&ll=30.890947,28.695243&spn=0.002039,0.003616&t=k&z=18&iwloc=addr&om=1 30°53'26.80"N and 28°41'42.87"E] Google Maps. Retrieved: 25 September 2007.]

* In the weeks following Marseille's death morale was low. In an attempt to improve morale Oberleutnant Fritz Dettmann persuaded Eduard Neumann to rename 3./JG 27 the "Marseille Staffel" [Weal 2003, p. 62.] (seen in photographs as "Staffel Marseille"). [Weal 2003, p. 105.]

* His grave bears a one-word epitaph: "Undefeated". It is understood that after the war, Hans-Joachim Marseille's remains were brought from Derna and reinterred in the memorial gardens at Tobruk; it was there that his mother visited his grave in 1954. His remains are now in a small clay coffin (sarcophagus) bearing the number "4133". [Wübbe 2001, p. 384.]

* In 1957, a German film, "Der Stern Von Afrika" ("The Star of Africa"), was made starring Joachim Hansen as Hans-Joachim Marseille. [Wübbe 2001, pp. 38–389.]

* On 24 October 1975, the Bundesluftwaffe's Uetersen-Appen Barracks was renamed the "Marseille Barracks." [Kurowski 1994, p. 216.]

* The Memorial of the Reuter-Marseille family can be found in the graveyard in Berlin, Alt-Schöneberg. The left side bears the insignia. [Wübbe 2001, p. 395.]

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

; I.(Jagd)/LG 2

Absence from the Geschwader

References

Footnotes

*note label|Note1|a|aBirth certificate Nr. 696, Charlottenburg, 15 December 1919. [Wübbe 2001, p. 90.]
*note label|Note2|b|bMarseille's first combat kill is uncertain. Sources conflict over the aircraft type citing it as a Hawker Hurricane or Supermarine Spitfire.
*note label|Note3|c|cFor an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe organisation
*note label|Note4|d|dOne Bf 109E, W.Nr 3579, which it is claimed he crash-landed, has been recovered, restored, and painted in the colours of "White 14", an aircraft with which he was associated.
*note label|Note5|e|eCommission Report by Oberstleutnant Schmidt-Coste [Wübbe 2001, pp. 351, 352.]
*note label|Note6|f|fSome sources mistakenly refer to this mission as a fighter sweep. This confusion may have been caused by the fact that during the mission Marseille's flight were directed away from the Stukas and toward enemy aircraft, however no contact was made.
*note label|Note7|g|gEyewitness to this aerial battle was Jan Yindrich, author of the book "Fortress Tobruk", Uk, Panther 1956. According to Hans Ring a vivid account is given in this book. [Ring 1994, p. 84.]
*note label|Note8|h|hIt is not clear that P-40Fs, assigned to the 57th FG at the time, were involved; the unit was not officially operational until 6 October. However, individual USAAF personnel had been attached to DAF units since July. [Craven and Cate 1949, pp. 15, 27, 30, 33, 35.]
*note label|Note9|i|iOne of the reasons Rommel cites for breaking off the Battle of Alam el Halfa on 2 September was the "Allied air superiority" which had played a key role in crippling his supply lines.
*note label|Note10|j|jThe figure of "100 or so German pilots" represents the "Geschwader's" entire strength. According to Kurowski at most 50 pilots took part in the three missions.
*note label|Note11|k|kThe Wehrmachtbericht originally stated 16 victories; the 17th had not been confirmed by the time the communiqué went out.

Citations

Bibliography

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* Berger, Florian. "Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges" (in German). Wien, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 1999. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
* Brown, James Ambrose. "Eagle Strike: The Campaigns of the South African Air Force in Egypt, Cyrenaica, Libya, Tunisia, Tripolitania and Madagascar, 1941-1943". Johannesburg: Purnell, 1974. ISBN 978-0-36000-196-1.
* Brown, Russell. "Desert Warriors: Australian P-40 Pilots at War in the Middle East and North Africa, 1941-1943". Maryborough, Queensland, Australia: Banner Books, 2000. ISBN 1-875-59322-5.
* Bungay, Stephan. "Alamein". London: Aurum Press, 2002. ISBN 1-85410-842-5.
* Craven, Wesley Frank and James Lea Cate. "The Army Air Forces in World War II. Volume 2, Europe: Torch to Pointblank, August 1942 to December 1943". Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949. ISBN 1-42891-587-7.
* Dettmann, Fritz and Franz Kurowski (translator). "Mein Freund Marseille". Berlin: Verlag 27 Publishing House, 1964. ISBN 978-3-86755-204-5.
* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945" (in German). Wölfersheim and Wölfersheim-Berstadt, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Feist, Uwe. "The Fighting Me 109". London: Arms & Armour Press, 1993. ISBN 1-85409-209-X.
* Galland, Adolf. "The First and The Last". Cutchogue, New York: Buccaneer Books, 1954. ISBN 0-89966-728-7.
* Hagen, Hans-Peter. "Husaren des Himmels Berühmte deutsche Jagdflieger und die Geschichte ihrer Waffe". Rastatt, Germany: Moewig, 1998. ISBN 3-8118-1456-7.
* Holmes, Tony. "Hurricane Aces 1939–1940" (Aircraft of the Aces). Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998. ISBN 978-1-85532-597-5.
* Kaplan, Philip. "Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe in World War WWII". Auldgirth, Dumfriesshire, UK: Pen & Sword Aviation. 2007. ISBN 1-84415-460-2.
* Kurowski, Franz. "German Fighter Ace: Hans-Joachim Marseille: Star of Africa". Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1994. ISBN 0-88740-517-7.
* O'Leary, Michael. "Back From Valhalla." "Aeroplane", April 2000.
* Patzwall, Klaus D. and Veit Scherzer. "Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II" (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
* Prien, Jochen, Peter Rodeike and Gerhard Stemmer. "Messerschmidt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./Jagdgeschwader 27 1939 - 1945" (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck, 1998. ISBN 3-923457-46-4
* Ring, Hans and Werner Girbig. "Jagdgeschwader 27 Die Dokumentation über den Einsatz an allen Fronten 1939-1945" (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag, 1994. ISBN 3-87943-215-5.
* Scutts, Jerry. "Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean". London: Osprey Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-85532-448-2.
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* Sims, Edward H. "Jagdflieger Die großen Gegner von einst" (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag, 1982. ISBN 3-87943-115-9.
* Tate, Robert. "Hans-Joachim Marseille: An Illustrated Tribute to the Luftwaffe's "Star of Africa" ". Schiffer Publishing. 2008. ISBN 978-0-76432-940-1.
* Toliver, Raymond F. and Trevor J. Constable. "Fighter Aces Of The Luftwaffe". Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1977. ISBN 0-8168-5790-3.
* Weal, John. "Jagdgeschwader 27 'Afrika"'. London: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-841765-38-4.
* "Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943" (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
* Wübbe, Walter. "Hauptmann Hans Joachim Marseille Ein Jagdfliegerschicksal in Daten, Bildern und Dokumenten" (in German). Schnellbach, Germany: Verlag Siegfried Bublies, 2001. ISBN 3-926584-78-5.

External links

*
* [http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/hanstate.html Hans-Joachim Marseille by Major Robert Tate, USAF]
* [http://www.2worldwar2.com/marseille.htm Hans-Joachim Marseille]
* [http://www.elknet.pl/acestory/marse/marse.htm Hans-Joachim Marseille - Desert Eagle]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2gHQGqKnGg&feature=related Hans-Joachim Marseille @ YouTube, footage taken from "Hans-Joachim Marseille - The Star of Africa" (Archive of War teleproduction). Egypt/Germany: AV-Medienproduktion. 1990. Note: Narrated by Brian Matthews.]

Persondata
NAME=Marseille, Hans-Joachim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Jochen
SHORT DESCRIPTION=German World War II fighter pilot
DATE OF BIRTH=December 13, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH=Berlin, Germany
DATE OF DEATH=September 30, 1942
PLACE OF DEATH=Sidi Abdel Rahman, Egypt